Basic Needs Support at FC

Overview

The Hornets Resource Center (HRC) and Food Bank play a vital role in supporting Fullerton College students by connecting them with food, housing, mental health, and other essential resources that promote well-being and academic success. The link below summarizes students’ awareness and use of these supports.

Most respondents reported having heard of the HRC and Food Bank, and many of those students have already accessed its services, most commonly for food assistance, followed by housing and mental health support. At the same time, some students expressed uncertainty about eligibility or how to access available resources, suggesting opportunities to continue strengthening outreach and communication.

Overall, the findings affirm the growing impact of the HRC and Food Bank and underscore the importance of continued collaboration to ensure that all students feel informed, welcomed, and supported in meeting their basic needs.

Basic Needs Support Awareness

Students were asked the extent to which they were aware of a Basic Needs Center and/or ways to access basic needs support (i.e, food, housing, mental health, physical health, childcare, transportation) at FC. Notably, about 60% of the students had heard about the Hornets Resource Center (HRC), and of those students, about two-thirds of them had utilized the HRC.

Students who had heard about the HRC were also asked how they learned about it. The most common sources of awareness included the college website (51%), word of mouth (47%), and flyers or posters (46%).

Usage of the HRC

Students who reported using the HRC indicated that they received support across several areas of basic needs, with more than three-quarters receiving food assistance.

Not all students utilized the HRC for various reasons. Among those who did not, about half reported that they did not need assistance. However, nearly one-third indicated that they did not think they were eligible for services, and about one-fifth indicated that they felt embarrassed or uncomfortable, or that they were unsure how to access services. This suggests an opportunity to not only raise awareness of available resources but also to improve communication about eligibility and create a more welcoming, stigma-free environment that encourages students to seek support when needed.

About Basic Needs Support at FC

Meeting students’ basic needs is a central part of Fullerton College’s commitment to equity and student success. As basic needs insecurity remains widespread among community college students, the college has made significant strides in developing programs and services to support students’ access to food, housing, and other essential resources.

The following section, contributed by Rena Martinez Stluka, M.A., Director of Admissions and Records, who oversees the Basic Needs, Hornet Resource Center, and Food Bank at Fullerton College, highlights the range of supports currently available through the Hornets Resource Center, Food Bank, and campus partnerships to ensure students can focus on learning without facing basic needs barriers.

About

Fullerton College provides basic needs support in our Hornet Resource Center (HRC), Food Bank, and throughout our campus community. We currently have Basic Needs Coordinators and support staff to assist students in locating resources and providing food security services, technology support, transportation, housing vouchers, campus based mental/health services, referrals to county and community resources, and more. The Basic Needs Coordinators provide training and presentations to faculty, staff, students, and classrooms to ensure that the campus community understands the needs of our students and resources available.

Hornet Resource Center (HRC)

The Hornet Resource Center is a beautiful center that offers students a hangout area outside and inside the center. There are tables and laptops available for student use. We have three offices inside the center for appointments that provide privacy for students as they are meeting with Basic Needs Coordinators. We recently increased the hours of our Hornet Resource Center (HRC) to 7 pm to be available for our working students. We have increased our community-based partnerships, including but not limited to, OC MECCA, Cal Optima, and Laura’s House. We have added staff to assist not only with Basic Needs resources and referrals but also with admission and registration assistance, student ID production, assistance with counseling appointments, and financial aid referrals. This provides students with comprehensive basic needs assistance and support in a central location as part of their onboarding experience for the college.

Food Bank

The Food Bank is now located in our brand-new SSC building, with increased capacity, and temporary parking right in front of the food bank doors for easy access. The Food Bank is set up farmer’s market style, so students feel a welcoming environment. Students can also pick up hygiene kits, snacks, diapers, and sign up for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TFAP) in the Food Bank. We have expanded our Food Bank operating hours and continue to partner with Second Harvest. We have a robust “snack on the go” program to provide snacks to students in different areas across campus.

Campus Collaboration

In order to identify students with the greatest level of needs, we utilize a multi-pronged approach. First, we partner with financial aid to analyze income data and identify students with significant unmet financial need. Secondly, we have strengthened our campus referral process for faculty and staff to use in and out of the classroom. In addition, we have leveraged partnerships with student programs such as EOPS, CalWORKs, Foster Youth, DSS, Rising Scholars, Men of Color, and other areas to identify students in need. We continue to increase the number of students we serve each term.

More to Come!

• We are launching an updated Basic Needs webpage to make it more student friendly and easy to navigate so students can find all our resources in one centralized virtual location.
• We have increased our social media presence, check out the pictures every Monday on grocery delivery days!
  • fc_hrc
  • fc_food_bank
• We are also revamping our reporting tools to ensure that we are capturing data of all students we serve and using that data to adjust the resources we provide to ensure we are meeting our student population’s needs.
  • Streamlined the check-in and intake process for Basic Needs with the utilization of Starfish.
• Collaboration with the Health Center to provide healthy cooking demonstration videos with food from the Food Bank.
• Establish more community-based partnerships.
• Exploring an emergency housing placement process with the county housing authority.
• Develop or expand relationships with the county behavioral health and community-based mental health service providers.

Learn more about the HRC and Food Bank!

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